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 The town of Bourne—gateway to the Cape—was once part of Sandwich, which was established in 1637, but later splintered off from the Cape’s oldest town in 1864, naming itself after a New Bedford whaling magnate and philanthropist. It was incorporated in 1884, the last Cape town to do so. With this action, the town has the distinction of being both oldest and newest Cape town. In 1637, Plymouth settlers established Aptucxet Trading Post along the Manomet River to spur trade with the Dutch from New Amsterdam (now New York). The town was physically divided into Cape and mainland portions in 1914 when the Cape Cod Canal was completed. Both the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges, the Cape’s only links to the mainland other than a railroad bridge, are situated in Bourne. Bourne contains the villages of Bourne, Buzzards Bay, Cataumet, Monument Beach, Pocasset, Sagamore and Sagamore Beach. More rural than commercial and decidedly private, unlike most other Cape towns, it does not cater to the tourist trade at all. In fact, many summer homes have descended through many generations, its owners proud of the fact that some of these large treasures were not metamorphosed into guest lodging establishments. This is particularly surprising because of its magnificent shoreline, which has long attracted fishermen and sportsmen. President Grover Cleveland purchased a summer home here called Gray Gables where he came to relax and escape the pressures and turmoil of the nation’s capitol. Bordered by the 17.4-mile, 160-yard wide Cape Cod Canal and the warm waters of Buzzards Bay, Bourne residents luxuriate in their relative isolation, gardening and cycling the town’s winding rural roads. Within Bourne are Massachusetts Maritime Academy (in Buzzards Bay), Massachusetts Military Reservation, which contains Otis Air Base, Camp Edwards (training area for the National Guard) and a base for contingents of Coast Guard, Marines and Navy. The town also contains Massachusetts National Cemetery. Herring Run Visitor Center/Army Corps of Engineers, Opposite Herring Pond Road Open all year. Features informative displays relating to construction and use of the Cape Cod Canal. Canal Service Roads (Accesses at Herring Run Visitor Center; Sagamore Recreation Area (Canal Road, Sagamore); Sand Catcher Recreation Area (Coast Guard Road); Sandwich Recreation Area (Freezer Road); Midway Station (Route 6 halfway between the Canal bridges); Bourne Recreation Area (off the Bourne Circle by bridge); Tidal Flats Recreation Area (Bell Road, Bourne), service road open to hike, bike, fish, no motorized vehicles; picnicking; parking at access areas. |
